Welcome to Rochambeau High School !

Our Director of Secondary School

Philippe Vanhille

Rochambeau students integrate multilingual mastery with a multicultural understanding of the world.

High school starts in 10th grade and our students can now choose between the French system of education or the International Baccalaureate track for their final years of high school.

High school studies culminate with the award of the U.S. High School Diploma, in addition to the world-renowned French Baccalaureate exam or the IB diploma program.

Rochambeau students receive a comprehensive education of the highest quality, instilling in them the confidence and desire for excellence they need to fulfill their dreams and become caring, valued members of a global society.

CAMPUS DIRECTIONS & SCHEDULE

Loading from Vimeo...

TWO DIFFERENT HIGH QUALITY RIGOROUS PROGRAMS

The French program and the IB program are two different programs accredited, supervised and assessed by two different organizations (respectively the French Ministry of Education and the IBO).

Rochambeau’s goal with having two programs families can choose from - the French Program & the IB Program - is to help you and your children find the curriculum, learning style and languages that best suit your child.

Whatever programs they choose at Rochambeau, our students qualify* for the US/Maryland High School Diploma. Courses in all programs meet the requirements and allow students to get the credits they need.

Loading from Vimeo...

Cycles of learning

The three years of Rochambeau high school are unified into one cycle, divided into two distinct learning stages:

The “Determination” stage (10th grade) is designed to enable students to consolidate and broaden their mastery of the common core of knowledge, skills and culture in order to make a successful transition from Middle to High School. It prepares them to determine their choice of a path within the terminal stage up to the baccalaureate with a view to successful pursuit of higher education and, beyond that, their professional integration.

The “Terminal” stage (11th and 12th grades)

In the final stage, in addition to the common courses, students follow compulsory speciality courses of their choice. These courses allow students to gradually acquire skills and knowledge adapted to their future choices of pursuing higher education.

Overview by grade

10th grade

10th Grade is a complete cycle in itself, in which students undertake a year of candid self-examination before deciding on the options they will study for the baccalaureate, in addition to mandatory core subjects.

Throughout the year, teachers encourage students to explore and identify their desires and interests, strengths and weaknesses, as well as potential career paths, so as to choose the options best suited to their aspirations.

In addition to mandatory specialties, there are many facultative courses including Cinema, Latin, Theater and Arts.

One of the most popular options is the American International Section, whose program was developed jointly by the French Ministry of National Education and the U.S. College Board.

It is now also possible to prepare for the International Baccalaureate Diploma - IB.

At the end of 10th grade, students complete a job shadowing program with the writing of an internship report, and also take part in a Start'up Week, a program dedicated to business creation. Click here for more information about these career guidance programs.

11th Grade

Starting in 11th grade, students begin preparation for either the French Baccalauréat (BF) or its elective, the French International Baccalauréat, (BFI) or the International Baccalaureate diploma program (IBDP).

In addition to an intensified study of the Common Core subjects and working closely with teachers, they choose three subjects from seven mandatory specialties:

Mathematics,
Economic and Social Sciences,
Life and Earth Sciences,
Physics and Chemistry,
Humanities, Literature and Philosophy,
History, Geography, Geopolitics and Political Science,
Foreign languages and literature (in English)

Several non-mandatory electives are also offered, but students are advised to carefully consider their selections to ensure that their workload is challenging but not overwhelming. Teachers work closely with students during this period to ensure that the options chosen are best suited to individual strengths, aspirations and personal projects for the future.

11th grade also marks a pivotal year in preparing for University admissions. 11th graders participate in a specially designed University Counseling Boot Camp to improve their essay writing and interview skills, as well as better understand the entire college application process.

12th grade

In this final High School year, the year of the baccalaureate or "Bac", teachers put great emphasis on the following skills, considered paramount to achieving high baccalaureate scores:

Reasoning, analysis and synthesis: To demonstrate a focused, critical mind

Initiative and creativity
A rigorously structured argumentation: In written tasks and oral presentations

The Bac marks the successful completion of the French High School program and follows curriculum guidelines established by the French Ministry of Education. It is a demanding and extensive pre-university program taught entirely in French. Oral and written exam results count for 60% of the final score, with ongoing assessment representing the other 40%. Tests are chosen from a national French database and are graded anonymously.

English-speaking universities, particularly American ones, value the Baccalaureate highly as it is considered very difficult to obtain and is recognized as providing students with an in-depth, comprehensive knowledge base and a broad general culture. In fact, universities the world over welcome students who have obtained the prestigious Baccalaureate diploma!